Friday, October 21, 2016

Brandywine Baroque Opens Season with Beautiful French Program

By Christine Facciolo

Brandywine Baroque opened its 2016-17 season with a wonderfully planned concert of 17th and 18th Century French music. The program — titled “Shades of Love” — was brief in description but generous in its offerings, providing the perfect showcase for the talents of its five instrumentalists, two harpsichordists and soprano Laura Heimes. The music sampled various genres of Baroque instrumental and vocal music, offering a glimpse into the world of the underplayed but brilliant music of the French court.

The concert opened with Michel Pignolet de Monteclair’s chamber cantata Pan & Sirinx composed around 1716. The cantata relates the myth of Syrinx who, pursued by Pan, was turned into reeds by water nymphs. Pan, discovering the effect of his breath across the reeds, turned them into his flute.

Like many Baroque vocal works, the cantata alternates between reflective arias and narrative recitatives. Heimes delivered the arias effortlessly and exquisitely, allowing the melody to flow its course without hindrance. Her soprano gleamed in the recitatives, coaxing just enough reverberation from The Barn at Flintwoods. Flutist Eileen Grycky conveyed the instrumental effect of Pan’s pursuit in the final three sections of the cantata, her playing augmenting the ensemble in timbre and depth.

Grycky was equally effective soloing in the Sonata Op.2, No. 5 in G Major by Jean-Marie Leclair (1697-1764), one of the sonatas for which the composer offered the choice of violin or flute. Her warm burnished tones shape the exquisite phrasing of the slow movements yet convey the Italian-inspired fire and energy in the fast.

Leclair’s Eighth Sonata engages the violin (Edwin Huizinga) and viola da gamba (Donna Fournier) in polite dialogue that becomes more animated with chains of trills in the Finale.

Huizinga captured the joyfulness of Sonata Op. 12, No. 6 in C Major by Louis-Gabriel Guillemain (1705-1770) with the pure, expressive tone of his violin, while Grycky’s flute perked up the entire ensemble, especially when she had rising figures to play.

Gambists Fournier and John Mark Rozendaal explored the changing textures and rhythms of Les batteries by Jean de Sainte-Colombe (fl. 1658-87- c.1701). The two returned after intermission with an exquisite yet deliberate rendering of the quirky but beautiful L’Arabesque by Marin Marais (1656-1728).

The second half of the program featured two main works: Pieces in F by Louis Couperin (1626-1661) and Orphee, a cantata by Louis-Nicolas Clerembault (1676-1728).

The harpsichord is a mesmerizing instrument in the hands of the right artist, and Brandywine Baroque Founding Artistic Director Karen Flint is one of those artists. It was a genuine pleasure to hear Couperin’s F Major played with dignity and clarity and expression. This was a performance to remember.

Heimes returned to conclude the concert with a performance of Orphee. This retelling of the Orpheus legend with a happy ending is replete with gorgeous melodies and embellishments which made it a superb showcase for Heimes’s wide vocal range and dramatic talent. A nice way to end an engaging concert!

See www.brandywinebaroque.org.

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Mélomanie Opens Wilmington Series at The Delaware Contemporary

By Christine Facciolo

Mélomanie opened its 2016-17 Wilmington concert series at The Delaware Contemporary on Sunday, October 9 with a program that was both demanding and fascinatingly varied.

The program started off with a delightful rendering of Telemann’s Paris Quartet 3 in G Major. A description of the performance can be found in the titles of the movements themselves: Gracieusement, Vite, Gai. Gracious and spirited are exactly the qualities this music requires 
— and what the ensemble delivered.

Flutist Kimberly Reighley played a magical Baroque flute, rich in tone with spot-on intonation. She blended perfectly with Christof Richter’s violin, making their intertwining lines an endless source of listening pleasure. Gambist Donna Fournier supplied a judicious bass line: prominent where needed yet merging seamlessly with Tracy Richardson’s sublimely supportive harpsichord.

In a rare treat, Richardson soloed in a World Premiere of Michael Stambaugh’s Suite for Harpsichord. Stambaugh is a rising young (b.1990) Philadelphia-based composer whose unfettered imagination shows that an 18th Century instrument has just as much to say in the 21st Century.

The work — written during the summer — unfolds in four short movements (a fifth is being reworked): The Machine Comes to Life, A Mischievous Prelude, A Light Dance and Invention. Opening with a blizzard of notes and fluctuant harmonies and rhythms, the piece is a whimsical mélange of jazz, rock, heavy metal and funk which, oddly enough, did not seem so far removed from the 17th Century. One audience member thought it quasi-programmatic, as it followed the path of a machine from its “birth” to its taking on human characteristics and capabilities 
 a notion that surprised and intrigued the composer.

The playing was often difficult and taxing, but Richardson was superb and her efforts were appreciatively received by the audience.

The history of Western music is littered with tales of lost masterpieces and what-might-have-beens. Philipp Heinrich Erlebach (1657-1714) became one of those unfortunates when in 1736 when all but 70 of his 1000 compositions were destroyed in a fire at the court library at Rudolstadt.

The Sonata 5 in E Minor is just one of six sonatas to survive. As was common for the time, it was scored for violin, viola da gamba and basso continuo. But Erlebach’s sonatas differ from those of his contemporaries in that he gives the viola da gamba a genuinely independent part. In addition, Erlebach aims for a mixture of German, Italian and French styles: the dance movements being mainly Italian while German polyphony dominates the opening and closing movements.

Violinist Richter and gambist Fournier exhibited a deep appreciation for the strong character of this sonata, and their performance offered a pleasing and effective balance in their dialogues.

The concert closed with the Promenades for Flute, Violin and Harpsichord by Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu. Written between 1937 and 1944, the piece reflects the composer’s reaction to the horrors of World War II. The work opens calmly enough with a Bach-like allegro and air but then morphs into a sinister scherzo and a bitter, edgy finale. Reighley is impressive, playing with the precision and pristine quality she’s noted for, yet somehow managing to deliver a strident tone the music demanded.

See www.melomanie.org.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

"The Little Mermaid" makes for a Delightful Afternoon at the Delaware Children’s Theatre



The Little Mermaid is such a delightful show for the whole family and a great way for parents to introduce their children to theater. This exciting production will enchant both the young and the young at heart!

Lynne Lew at Scuttle and Sarah Robertson as Ariel.
Director Tom Marshall has assembled a wonderful cast and crew to bring this Disney favorite to the stage here in Wilmington. With a captivating “underwater” set designed by Cam Hay and sea-like animals and mythical sea creatures created through gorgeous make-up design by Kellye Porter-Martin, fabulous wigs and hair designed by Debbie Norkavage, and inventive costumes designed by Nancy Kennard (I especially enjoyed the “umbrella jellyfish”), the setting and characters made famous in the 1989 animated film truly come to life.

I’m sure most people are familiar with the story about a princess mermaid (Ariel) who lives with her father (King Triton) and six older sisters in the vast ocean, but is intrigued by humans and has become more interested in their lifestyle than her own. This intrigue intensifies when Ariel saves the dashing Prince Eric from drowning after being overthrown from his ship during a storm. Since King Triton doesn’t trust humans and believes they are at fault for his wife’s untimely death, Ariel is forbidden to go to the ocean’s surface with her friends and is meant to stay in her aquatic home and concentrate on her singing – a talent she shared with her deceased mother. Wanting an opportunity to be with Eric, Ariel defies her father and makes a deal with his evil sister Ursula – a sea urchin that has been banished by Triton to live far under the dark sea.

The wicked deal allows Ariel to become human for three days, but she will be mute and her voice will be kept by Ursula. In order to remain human and to regain her voice, the prince must kiss her before the three days are up, or Ursula will keep her voice and Ariel will become one of Ursula’s slaves. 

Now human, Ariel is spending time with the prince and becoming acquainted with her new lifestyle. Ariel is doing her best to get Eric to kiss her, but time is running out! You probably know how it ends, but just in case you don’t…I won’t ruin it for you. You’ll have to see the show for yourself

Sarah Robertson leads the cast as the curious and adventurous Ariel. She is charming as the innocent young mermaid and has a gorgeous voice that sweetly soars throughout the theater. Ashley Baker is frighteningly good as Ursula. She has an amazingly strong voice that evokes fear in the audience. Conner Malley as Prince Eric and Jonathan Dalecki as King Triton are captivating and have a great presence on stage. Lynne Lew (Scuttle – the sea bird), Adelaide Nourie (Flounder) and Will Rotsch (Sebastian – the crab) bring great humor and excitement as the friends who share in Ariel’s adventures.
   
Don’t miss this classic musical with memorable songs written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. Like me, I’m sure you’ll find yourself singing along to “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl,” among many others! The Little Mermaid closes on October 30. 

For tickets and additional information visit www.dechildrenstheatre.org.